The winners of the spring and fall seasons will be joined in the semfinals by the two teams with the next best overall records. If the same team wins both seasons, the team with the fourth-best overall record will join the field.

The field will be seeded, with the season champions getting 1 and 2 based on record, and the runners-up getting 3 and 4. The winners of the semifinal matches will play for the NASL championship in the Soccer Bowl, with the top-seeded team playing host.

“The NASL is continuing to grow and mature and part of that process is to listen to our fans,” said Scorpions owner Gordon Hartman via an NASL release. “The owners have done that and made the season more competitive by embracing The Championship. Last year the Scorpions might have benefited from this format, which ensures more clubs stay in the running to become champions deeper into the season.”

The new format was approved by the NASL Board of Governors this week in Jacksonville and will be implemented for the upcoming season, which begins April 12. The semifinals will be played on the weekend of Nov. 8/9 followed by the Soccer Bowl on Nov. 15 or 16.

The NASL, currently at 10 teams, introduced a split-season schedule last year, with the winners of each campaign (Atlanta in the spring, New York in the fall) advancing to the Final. In the previous two seasons, the top six teams qualified for the playoffs with the top two earning first-round byes.

Last year’s format was widely criticized, with Atlanta playing for the title despite winning just four of 14 fall matches, eventual champion New York sitting out the spring season and Carolina missing the postseason entirely despite finishing with the best overall record.

This year’s schedule will feature a nine-match spring schedule, followed by a six-week break for the World Cup, culminating with an 18-match fall schedule and the playoffs.